1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to housings, and particularly, to a housing used in electronic devices, and a surface treating method for making the housing.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for portable electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, MP3 players and MP4 players. To make the portable electronic devices more physically appealing, the housings of the portable electronic devices may be decorated to have difference appearances.
Generally, the housings that exhibit metallic appearances are prepared by aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy or stainless steel. However, even if the aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy or stainless steel has a relatively high surface hardness, the housings may still be easily deformed and/or scratched when use. Furthermore, the aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy or stainless steel has relatively high chemical activity, thus when the portable electronic device is used, the housings would be oxidized or corroded, thereby causing the appearance of the housings to degrade.
Metallic glasses, unlike conventional crystalline alloys, have an amorphous or disordered atomic-scale structure that gives them unique properties, such as higher surface hardness, better anti-corrosion relative to the conventional crystalline alloys. Thus many of housings made of metallic glasses have been used in the portable electronic devices. However, the appearance of the housings made of metallic glasses is not physically appealing. Furthermore, a softness of the housing made of metallic glasses is relatively low-grade. In order to enhance the softness of the housing made of the metallic glasses with improving the appearance, generally, a transparent paint is coated on a surface of the metallic glasses to form an outer layer. However, after a relatively long time, the outer layer would break off from the surface of the metallic glasses, thus the appearance of the housing is seriously influenced.
Therefore, a new housing and surface treating methods for making the housing are desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings.